Swan Valley Nyungah Community: "Why is the Swan Valley Nyungah Community being punished?"

I have written several articles published in various news media that the Swan Valley Nyungah Community has asked me if I could kindly post on Indymedia Australia, a site that they know many come to for the stories few others carry.

DIGNITY IN DEATH DENIED, and SWAN VALLEY NYUNGAH COMMUNITY folk made homeless - "Why is the Swan Valley Nyungah Community being punished?"

Gerry Georgatos

Swan Valley Nyungah Elder Robert Bropho died in prison during his sentence on sexual abuse convictions. However, the WA state government denied him his denying wish to be buried on the closed down Swan Valley Nyungah community site. There were angry scenes during his funeral procession which police intercepted as it tried to head to the old Swan Valley Nyungah community site.

The funeral service of Mr Bropho was conducted by the Archbishop of the Catholic Church of Perth, Barry Hickey and this too brought on outrage and condemnation. The Barnett government stated that it would be inappropriate, in remembrance of the victims of sex abuse, if Mr Bropho's service was conducted at the site. State opposition leader agreed, "It is an outrageous insult to the memory of Susan Taylor and other victimes of sex abuse." Former state premier, Geoff Gallop, closed the community site after describing it "...as a place of ruination and despair."

Archbishop Hickey has defended his role in conducting the service and reminded the news media that he is in the service of the Lord, that all people enter this world as innocents, and whatever occurs in between, the Lord awaits them as he brought them into the world. The Archbishop noted the good works of Robert Bropho amidst the fact of his conviction on sexual abuse.

Bropho family friend, Lynda Nutter said, "Robert Bropho may be the only man in Australian history to have been pulled over by police whilst travelling to his own funeral."

She said, "On Remembrance Day, the 11th of November, the funeral procession was pulled over and detained at Kiara police station while hundreds of mourners were left standing on a busy roadside in the hot sun - surrounded by police and television crews."

Ms Nutter said, "I live a couple of hundred yards from the Swan Valley Nyungah community land in Lockridge and I got to know the people there - and around 1998 especially when the government proposed to build a prison on the land next to the Swan Valley Nyungah community."

"During the four year campaign against the prison proposal I spent a lot of time at the community's office and became friends with Robert and Bella Bropho, and with the families there."

She continued, "Although community defeated the prison proposal it was bittersweet. A complex chain of political manoeuvring at the highest levels led to the eviction of all the Aboriginal residents at the Swan Valley camp, and Robert Bropho was accused and convicted of sex crimes that were said to have occurred some 20 years earlier... Geoff Gallop evicted Aboriginal women, chldren and families from their homes but the ones that have appeared in the press over the years in relation to the community site are the community leader (portrayed) as a sexual predator, and a young woman, who had not lived there however who hanged herself in the ablution block after sniffing solvents for the most of the day."

She said, "Now, I can never understand the logic of punishing the families of a 'criminal'. Does it seem right to you? You would have thought (the government) would have offered extra social services to deal with any problems. Instead the whole Swan Valley Nyungah community were evicted from their homes, with little warning, and no immediate provision for accommodation. They were made homeless. Some of them lived in caravans at Cullacabardee Aboriginal reserve, others dossed at friends, others on the street. There are two deaths in the Bropho family that may be attributable to the evictions and consequent homelessness."

She concluded, "The community members still stand strong together and maintain their identity. The High Court determined them as Native Title Holders to the land in the Swan Valley. Bella Bropho now speaks for her people."

In relation to the funeral service, she explained that the community had intended for it on the land adjacent to the old community site, where they had stopped the state government building a prison. "It has always held spiritual significance to the people... Bella Bropho after having applied to the Planning Commission had been given permission in writing. A key to the front gate of the site was delivered to the Swan Valley Community office by the authorities. We trimmed bushes and cleared paths around the site and prepared it for the Friday, November 11 service."

She said, "Sadly things changed. Mick Gooda, the chief government mouthpiece and puppet was quoted saying the choice of location was inappropriate even though no-one had lodged a complaint!" She said this cascaded a series of events with the Premier Barnett overruling the Planning Commission's consent for the funeral service. Instead, on the day of the funeral service the procession found police had blockaded access to the site.

She continued, "Enraged and confused the party maintained its dignity and moved on to a nearby park."

Former Town Mayor of Bassendean, Bevan Carter and author of Bassendean: a Social HIstory 1829-1979, Jennie Carter, wrote in statement, "In the middle of winter in 2003 the WA Parliament voted to evict the women and children of the Swan Valley (Nyungah) Community from their homes. The subsequent Foss inquiry concluded that the Gallop government's action not be justified, but despite such strong condemnation, women and children who were innocent of any wrongdoing were made homeless."

"It is a terrible injustice that the Barnett government high-handedly refused to allow these same women and their families to hold a funeral service on land which is so significant to them and indeed all (Nyungah) people."

"What have these grieving families done to deserve such appalling treatment? Permission to hold the service had already passed the approval process and it (was) conducted by one of Australia's religious leaders, Archbishop Barry Hickey."

"It is hoped that with the passing of Robert Bropho, the WA government and the media will cease their persecution of the women and children of the Swan Valley (Nyungah) Community and allow them to return to their homes."

THE SWAN VALLEY NYUNGAH COMMUNITY has received a response from the WA Premier - and have asked for its contents to be posted.

They had asked the Premier to reconsider the Labor Party's closure of the community, which has meant homelessness, and which was done on the presumptions of the sins of one person - however that person has now passed away. They received this on 8 December 2011:

Dear Ms Bropho

Thank you for your letter dated 26 September 2011 regarding access to land and
housing at the former Swan Valley Nyungah Community (SVNC) Aboriginal site in
Lockridge.

The Western Australian State Government introduced legislation in 2003 to formally
close the SVNC as a residential community. The State Government will not be
reconsidering this decision.

Thank you for raising this matter with me.

Yours sincerely,
Colin Barnett MLA
PREMIER

Many Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community groups have not understood why a whole community was shut down on the presumption of the sins of one person. In most cases you prosecute pursuant of the truth and where requisite seek a conviction in terms of various forms of proven criminality, however you don't shut down a centre, an organisation, a society, a town, a city, a nation, and in effect this is exactly what the government did - somehow it was alright to do so, and it is alright to make people homeless, and years later it is still alright to defend the decision. This is because, and it can never be said often enough, it stems from deep seated racism - from the obvious assumptions arisen from prejudice, vagaries and stereotypes. It was discrimination. I have met many of those made homeless since, and I have seen them struggle in their suffering in the Saturday night queues for medical care and assistance outside the Church of Christ Mission Centre on Stirling Street, Northbridge, Perth and on my visits to Aborginal health services in nearby Ashfield (not too many kms from the old community site)...

The community site lays wasted, and humanity lingers.